downs



March 24, w. O N

' SLIDER FULLER Filed Nov. 15, 1962 INVENTOR. 5 2/1 55 T W DOW/MS United States Patent 3,125,791 SLIDER FULLER Ernest W. Downs, Natich, Mass, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Nov. 15, 1%2, Ser. No. 238,960 12 Claims. (Cl. 24205.15) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (wfil), sec. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The invention relates to slide fasteners of the zipper type and more particularly to such fasteners of the heavy duty type and which have quite long tapes which are connected to relatively large and heavy sheets of tentage or the like. Such fasteners are used, for instance, in the air supported tents or shelters for antiaircraft rockets of the Nike type.

In closing such shelters by means of the slide fastener, there is imposed considerable strain on the zipper tapes and the threads or the like which secure them to the main body of the shelter material. Also, as the tapes are necessarily widely separated when open, they must be dragged together as the slide moves along to engage the zipper teeth.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the invention to provide means coupled with the fastener slide for pulling the tapes toward each other ahead of the slide so as to create slack in the tapes and relieve the later and the slide of the heaviest strain involved in connecting the fastener teeth.

A further object is to provide such a means which engages two ribs or beads formed on opposed edges of the main body of the shelter material in offset parallel relation to the fastener teeth.

A further object is to provide novel antifriction means for so engaging said ribs or beads.

Other objects and advantages reside in the particular structure of the invention, the structure of the several elements of the same, combinations and subcombinations of such elements with each other and/ or a slide fastener, all of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates one species of the invention and to the following specification wherein the invention is described and claimed.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the invention in use;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view taken substantially on the planes of the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the invention apart from the rest of the structure.

Referring specifically to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate like parts in all views, It), 11 designate the edge portions of two sections of shelter material having fastener tapes 12, 13 secured to the free edges thereof in any suitable well known manner, not shown. Tapes 12, 13 mount the usual chains of interengaging fastener or zipper teeth 14, 15. The edge portions 10, 11

ave flaps 16, 17 secured thereto by any suitable means, not shown, in offset and parallel relation to the tapes 12, 13. Flaps 16, 17 may be inside or outside of the tapes but in the species illustrated are on the inside. Flaps 16 and 17 have free edges formed with ribs or beads 13, 19 which extend longitudinally of the tapes 12, 13 in laterally outwardly laterally relation thereto. The teeth 14, are interengaged in the usual manner by a conventional slide 29. Slide 2% is formed with any suitable means such "ice as the bight 21 for attaching a slide pull 22 thereto for propelling the slide in both directions.

In order to provide slack in the tapes 12, 13 just ahead of the slide 20 there has been provided the pilot puller now to be described.

In the embodiment illustrated, the pilot puller comprises a base which comprises upper and lower plates 23 and 24 respectively having parallel central portions 25, 26 which are secured in vertically spaced relation by any suitable means such as the spacer tubes 27 and bolts 28. An eye-bolt or the like 29 provides a hand grip or a means for securing a pulling instrument or cord, not shown, to the puller. The lower plate 24 has forward and rearward extensions 39, 36, each formed with a hole 31 therethrough to provide means for securing the puller to the slide 20 by any suitable connecting means such as the flexible tether 32. Obviously, a rigid or even a permanent connection could be substituted for the tether 32.

The upper and lower plates laterally of the central portions 25, 26 are formed with side portions 33, 33, 34, 34 which are inclined away from each other in upward and downward directions respectively. Such side portions 33, 34 each mount on the facing surfaces thereof at least one antifriction member 35, 36 in any suitable manner. Such antifriction members 35, 3 6 rotate on axes normal to the inner surfaces of the inclined side portions 33, 34 so as to provide converging peripheries adjacent the central portions 25, 26 and diverging peripheries remotely thereof. Such peripheries of each pair of antifriction members are formed with complementary grooves 37, 38 which fit like portions of the beads 18 or 19 so as to engage the same rearwardly thereof, in the manner of a split sheave. The rollers 35, 36 are mounted in any suitable manner as by the shoulder bolts 39, best seen in FIGURE 2. Obviously, any other suitable mounting means may be used.

In the species illustrated, each diverging portion 3 3 or 34 mounts two rollers, one at each corner which cooperated with the subjacent rollers to provide four pairs of rollers, each pair having an antifriction grip on one of the beads 18 or 19. As the beads 18, 19 are formed on the free edges of the tent fabric, they are strong enough to' stand the strain of pulling the edge portions 10, 11 toward each other and provide slacks in the tapes 12 and 13 so that the chains of teeth 14 and 15 are inter-engaged without strain. Likewise, by coupling the pilot puller to the slide 20, the latter is actuated simultaneously in a single operation, even by a single person,

It follows from the foregoing, that the invention not only provides an advantageous way of quickly closing a substantially long and heavy closure but that it also provides means for increasing the life of the fastener by relieving it of the heaviest strains involved in the closing operation. Moreover, while there has been shown and described what is now thought to be the preferred species of the invention, it should be understood that the same is susceptible of other forms and expressions. Consequently, the invention is not considered to be limited to the specific structures shown and described hereinabove but only as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. The combination with the slide of zipper tapes having opposed rows of interlocking teeth, sheets of flexible material mounting said tapes and including free edges, said tapes and teeth extending toward each other beyond said free edges of said sheets of flexible material mounting said tapes, longitudinally extending beads formed on said free edges of said sheets in laterally spaced parallel relation of a pilot puller for said slide, said puller comprising an element movable along said beads, said element having bead-engaging means carried thereby to draw said beads and said tapes toward each other as said element moves along said beads, said bead-engaging means comprising upper and lower elements engaging each bead simultaneously from above and below the same rearwardly thereof, and connecting means connecting said puller to said slide immediately in front of the same.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said each of said upper and lower bead engaging elements comprises an antifriction means.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein each antifriction means is formed with a groove complementary to a portion of said bead and receiving the same therein.

4. The combination with the slide of a pair of opposed zipper tapes including interengaging teeth, said tapes each having a bead fixed thereto and extending therealong laterally outwardly of said teeth of a pilot puller for said slide; said puller comprising a pair of plates, connecting means centrally of said plates and securing the same together in vertically spaced relation, at least two pairs of rollers carried by said plates, there being a pair of rollers on each side of said connecting means, said rollers of each pair being carried by separate plates in slightly vertically spaced and substantially axially aligned relation in straddling relation to one of said beads, said pairs of rollers being adapted to rollably engage said beads outwardly thereof to draw the same toward each other as said puller moves along the same, and means attaching said puller to said slide forwardly of the latter.

5. The combination of claim 4, wherein said plates include parallel central portions secured together in vertically spaced relation, and angularly disposed side portions, said side portions of one plate diverging from said like side portions of the other plate, a roller carried by each side portion of each plate in laterally spaced relation, means mounting each roller for rotation in a plane parallel to its side portion, said rollers of like side portions being disposed in vertical alignment to provide two pairs of rollers, said rollers of each pair diverging in laterally outwardly directions but converging into closely spaced relation in laterally inward directions in the regions of said beads, and said rollers being adapted to rollably engage said beads outwardly thereof to draw the same and said teeth toward each other as said puller moves along said beads.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein said rollers include peripheral portions formed complementary to said beads whereby to have a close fit thereon.

7. The combination with the slide of a pair of zipper tapes including interengaging teeth, said tapes each having a free edge formed with a longitudinally extending bead in laterally outwardly parallel relation to said teeth of a pilot puller for said slide, said puller comprising a substantially rigid base, laterally spaced and opposed pairs of rollers rotatably mounted on said base, each pair of rollers comprising an upper and a lower roller in substantially vertically aligned and spaced relation, each pair of rollers straddling a bead above and below the same and engaging the same rearwardly thereof, and said rollers being operative to draw said beads and said tapes toward each other as said base moves along said beads, and means connecting said base to said slide in front of the same.

8. The combination of claim 7, there being means mounting said rollers on said base for free rotation, said last named means mounting the rollers of each pair in angular relation to each other so that peripheral portions of said rollers of each pair extend toward each other in converging directions behind each bead.

9. The combination of claim 8, wherein said rollers of each pair are formed with peripheral grooves, and said grooves being complementary to the bead portions engaged thereby.

10. The combination of claim 9, there being at least two pairs of rollers engaging each bead.

11. The combination with the slide of a pair of Zipper tapes, each tape having a single row of teeth along a free edge thereof and a longitudinally disposed rib fixedly associated therewith in laterally spaced and parallel relation; of a pilot puller for said slide, said puller comprising a base movably relative to said tapes, at least two laterally spaced elements projecting from one side of said base, said spaced elements being disposed to slidably engage said ribs laterally outwardly thereof, said elements being operable to draw said ribs and tapes together as said base is moved along said tapes in a forward direction, means for pulling said base in said forward direction, and means connecting said base to said slide immediately in front of the latter.

12. The combination of claim 11, wherein said rib engaging means comprises at least a pair of laterally spaced and opposed anti-friction elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,251,137 Kay July 29, 1941 2,325,332 Marinsky July 27, 1943 2,355,816 Morner Aug. 15, 1944 2,637,086 Philips May 5, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 325,618 Italy Mar. 30, 1935 706,557 Germany May 29, 1941 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH THE SLIDE OF ZIPPER TAPES HAVING OPPOSED ROWS OF INTERLOCKING TEETH, SHEETS OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL MOUNTING SAID TAPES AND INCLUDING FREE EDGES, SAID TAPES AND TEETH EXTENDING TOWARD EACH OTHER BEYOND SAID FREE EDGES OF SAID SHEETS OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL MOUNTING SAID TAPES, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING BEADS FORMED ON SAID FREE EDGES OF SAID SHEETS IN LATERALLY SPACED PARALLEL RELATION OF A PILOT PULLER FOR SAID SLIDE, SAID PULLER COMPRISING AN ELEMENT MOVABLE ALONG SAID BEADS, SAID ELEMENT HAVING BEAD-ENGAGING MEANS CARRIED THEREBY TO DRAW SAID BEADS AND SAID TAPES TOWARD EACH OTHER AS SAID ELEMENT MOVES ALONG SAID BEADS, SAID BEAD-ENGAGING MEANS COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER ELEMENTS ENGAGING EACH BEAD SIMULTANEOUSLY FROM ABOVE AND BELOW THE SAME REARWARDLY THEREOF, AND CONNECTING MEANS CONNECTING SAID PULLER TO SAID SLIDE IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF THE SAME. 